Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Acquired by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 256.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,292 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,405 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,390,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup cut their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.50.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.6 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $132.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $41.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $136.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.03. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.23%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.